


Accolades and Ohana Part Three

by daffodil729



Series: Accolades and Ohana [3]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 17:01:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17227892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daffodil729/pseuds/daffodil729





	Accolades and Ohana Part Three

**Chapter 11: Chapter 11**

* * *

"So," Steve said as he danced with Grace. "Aunt Callie, huh?" He grinned at his honorary niece in amusement.

Grace ducked her head, blushing. "Yeah…you heard that?"

"Yep."

"Do you think she minded?" Grace asked shyly.

Steve smiled. "No, Gracie. I told you she wouldn't."

"I know….I just don't want to be weird or anything." Grace shrugged. "She's important to you. I want her to like me, you know?"

"And she does," Steve assured her. "And—don't you forget— _you're_ important to me, too. I think it meant a lot to her."

"You do?"

Steve nodded confidently. "I do. It may have had a little something to do with the timing of it all, too, which was a little…interesting." He smiled.

"I just wanted Catherine to go away. She was part of our ohana, but she made the choice to leave, you know? It hurt my feelings when she just up and left without even saying bye or anything." She paused, thinking. "And I know she hurt you," she added quietly. "I don't like that."

"Ah, sweet girl," Steve planted a kiss on the top of her head. "It all worked out for the best."

"I know." They fell silent, both lost in thought.

"Today has been fun," she said after a minute of quiet.

"Really? You haven't been bored?"

"Are you kidding?" Grace asked incredulously. "No! This has been awesome! Will has had a great time too. I think he's kind of starstruck or something."

Steve snorted.

"It's true! You're used to all this, all the uniforms and procedures and stuff, but for us normal people it's really cool to watch. I think he may be interested in the military after high school."

"Oh really?" Steve was surprised and wondered if Lou knew.

Grace nodded. "Maybe. He has been talking to some of your friends about it."

"Probably _not_ who he needs to be talking to."

Grace laughed.

"It's a big decision, and one that people have different feelings about depending on their experience. The people in this room have made careers of it and love it. _I_ loved it. Still do. That's why I transferred to the Reserves instead of retiring when I came back to Hawaii. But there are plenty of people who enlist and then hate it." He shrugged. "Just depends on a lot of things. He needs to look into everything carefully and really think about it before he makes a decision."

"I know. He's just barely started thinking about all that anyway."

Steve nodded. "There's plenty of time."

"Yeah. I don't even know what I want to do yet at all."

Steve shook his head. "Ugh. Gracie. I don't even want to talk about it. I thought you promised me you'd never grow up?"

Gracie grinned. "I think I was eight when I said that, Uncle Steve."

"Still counts," he teased.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I'll always be your best girl though, right? Your Gracie? No matter how old I get?"

He twirled her around, smiling at her giggles. "Always."

* * *

Danny smiled as he watched his daughter dance with his partner.

"He'd be a really good dad, you know," he said to Callie, nudging her.

"He would," Callie said, lost in thoughts of the future. "He really would."

* * *

"This has been the coolest day," Jerry said to the table. Steve was talking to the last few people he needed to before leaving the reception. Five-0 and the SEALs were hanging out, waiting on him, not willing to leave until he did. "I mean, just really awesome, right?" He grinned. "So cool."

"Ignore him," Tani said to Steve's former teammates. She rolled her eyes. "He has, like, this weird hero-worship, man crush thing for the boss."

The men laughed, and Jerry turned red, a little embarrassed but not denying it. He thought Steve was great. What was so wrong with that?

"Don't worry about it, man," Greg said, clapping him on the shoulder. "I get it."

Jerry was glad someone did. Lou called him a kiss ass and Danny just made fun of him mercilessly, and so did Tani. He thought Junior probably had a similar mindset as his because they made fun of him too, but he was pretty sure Junior didn't care either. Steve was like the cool kid in high school you always wanted to be friends with—the star football player, the popular kid—but what made it so awesome was that Steve was so nice. Jerry knew himself well enough to know he wasn't exactly the most normal person. He had some crazy ideas from time to time, and maybe his conspiracy theories could get a little out of hand. Not to mention that he wasn't exactly what one would consider traditionally attractive. But Steve had never been anything but kind to him, and that meant a lot.

Jerry shrugged. "Whatever," he said to Tani. "Today was great."

"I agree, Jer," Junior said, nodding as he came to Jerry's rescue.

* * *

Steve sauntered over, looking tired.

"We're going to head back to the hotel for a bit, brah," Chin said, shaking his hand. "What time's dinner?"

Steve rubbed at his forehead and looked at Jack. "Six?"

"Yes, but now that we've changed the plan some, we don't have to be on a tight schedule," Jack replied. "They'll go along with whatever you want to do." He looked at Steve pointedly. "At some point, you need to sleep some and get rid of that headache you're going to tell me you don't have."

Steve huffed, then looked back at Chin. "Six...or whenever. I don't know."

Chin laughed. "Okay, brah. We'll see you."

Kono and Adam followed Chin and his family, as well as Mary and Callie's parents. Slowly the crowd dwindled and this part of the celebration came to a close.

* * *

Removing his cover and dropping into the car provided by the Navy, Steve sighed as he leaned back and sprawled out. His head rested against the back of the seat.

"Tired?" Callie asked.

"Mmhm," Steve mumbled.

"Me too. It has been a long day," she replied, gently rubbing her fingers through his hair. "Headache?"

"Mm," he agreed, eyes closed and leaning into her touch. "Keep doing that," he said, so soft she barely heard him.

"Seven insurgents, Commander," Callie teased quietly. "You can take care of seven insurgents, but the minute I put my fingers in your hair, you're putty in my hands."

She waited for a response. When she didn't get one, she looked down and smiled at what she saw.

Tough though he was, Steve was already fast asleep against his fiancée's shoulder.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Chapter 12**

* * *

"Where the _fuck_ did that cat come from?"

It was a little after six and Five-0 and their families had just arrived at the McGarrett residence for dinner. As they walked around the house and into the backyard, they heard voices heatedly discussing something.

"Oh, this already sounds like it's going to be a fun night," Danny grinned, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. His partner normally kept a tight reign on his sailor's mouth, but give him pain medication or a good bit of alcohol and it returned with a vengeance. "Good thing we left Charlie with Rachel." He paused as he walked up to Steve, who was lying in the hammock. "Hey, babe."

"Hey," Steve said distractedly, looking at the group before turning his attention back to Jay, who was holding a small gray kitten. He sat up quickly, causing the hammock to pitch. Steve clutched at the sides, closing his eyes against the vertigo the movement caused. "Whoa. Shit." He stopped for a minute, then opened his eyes and focused on Jay again. "I'm fuckin' serious—where'd it come from?"

"I'm fuckin' serious, too, McGarrett," Scott volunteered from across the lanai. "You keep moving like that and you're gonna flip yourself right out of that hammock. And I am not picking your drunk, heavy ass up off the ground."

"You'd leave me on the ground?"

"On the ground."

"No help?"

"Not a bit."

"You're lyin'."

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. You'd best not find out."

"Hmmph." Steve turned back to Jay. "Cat."

"Neighborhood. When I was running."

" _You stole somebody's fuckin' cat?!"_

"Sweet Lord in Heaven," Aaron commented.

"Damn kleptomaniac," Scott said.

"Dumb ass. You don't just take kittens," Greg chimed in.

"No! I didn't steal anyone's cat! Do y'all not think I have more sense than that? Never mind—don't answer that! It was a _stray_. Wandering around. Meowing, all pitiful-like. He likes milk. He needs a family. He needs you, McGarrett." He held the small kitten up in the air right in front of him. "Isn't he cute?" The cat bared his teeth and hissed at Steve.

"Yeah, buddy," Steve said to the outraged ball of fur. "I feel the same way about you and this whole situation, too. No, he sure as hell isn't cute and he _is not_ going to find a family here. Take him back wherever you found him and leave him there."

"Take him back to the street?!" Jay did an excellent job of appearing horrified. He leaned down to the cat's ear. "Don't worry about him," he mock-whispered. "We'll work on it. It'll all be okay. He's not really such a hard-ass when you get to know him. You'll like it here. There's a dog, but he's nice. You can be buddies. His name is Beau. What should we name you?"

"It's not staying."

"I don't get why it's such a big deal. You have a dog.  And I thought you liked cats anyway."

"Yeah. A well-trained, well-behaved dog who doesn't shed and who doesn't sit on the furniture unless he's invited to.  And just because I think cats are cute and adorable little ninjas doesn't mean I want one."

"What has happened to this conversation?" Greg interjected.

"That's because Beau is _you_ in dog form. Classic overachiever. Also, he chewed my shoe so he's not perfect," Jay continued.

Steve snorted. "See? He's a good judge of character too." Steve waved his hand in a sweeping gesture. "Anyway. Do whatever—street, shelter, I don't care. That cat's not staying here. End of."

"To a shelter? You know they euthanize, right?" Jay asked.

Steve looked him dead in the eye. "Hell of a lot better than what's going to happen to it if it gets left here," he muttered darkly.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Callie rolled her eyes at the whole exchange.  "Jay, he doesn't want a cat.  Steve, no harm is going to come to the cat and you know it.  We'll figure something out."  

Callie continued walking toward the group that had just arrived.

"Hey, guys," she said to the group from Five-0, giving hugs. "Needless to say, drinking continued after we got back here. Your commander has lost his usually firmly-in-place filter, so…I'm going to apologize in advance for him."

Lou laughed. "It's always fun when he's this far gone. It doesn't happen often. Your boy there can drink the rest of us under the table without even feeling it."

"It's a talent finely honed through years of service in the US Navy," Steve spoke up.

"You're the only person I know who can be drunk and still use words I have to look up in the dictionary," Jay said.

Steve's attention turned to Jay. "Shut up. Get rid of the cat."

Callie sighed. "And we're back to the cat."

* * *

"McGarrett!" Wade Gutches yelled as he walked around the house and into the backyard. "Did we make it in time for dinner?"

Steve grinned at the familiar voice and stood up to greet Wade and the rest of SEAL Team 9. The bearded men in uniform walked into a warm welcome from the SEALs already gathered there.

"We tried to make it to the ceremony this morning, but couldn't get out in time," Wade explained. "I hate we missed it."

"Ah, no worries, man," Steve replied. "It's good to see you. Everybody good?"

Wade nodded and grinned. "All back in one piece. I'd say it was a successful trip, right, boys?"

The rest of Team 9 nodded. "We came straight here from Pearl. We're a little scruffy, so we apologize, but we wanted to get here in time."

Callie waved away his apology. "Oh, hush. We're glad you're here. And we're so glad you're back." She hugged each of the men tightly. They had the team over for dinner the night before they left on their latest mission, and it had been an emotional experience for her. She had prayed for their safety daily and was grateful they were back home.

The group sat down to eat dinner, Five-0 and SEALs mixing and mingling. The people were very different and came from very different backgrounds but had one thing in common—unfailing love and loyalty to a certain commander.

* * *

"So," Callie said during dinner. "I have a surprise."

Steve raised his eyebrows and the rest looked on in interest.

"The governor called earlier when you guys were swimming. She said she only got to talk to you for a few minutes this morning, so she didn't get to tell you—she's putting Five-0 on stand down this week. Everything's going to HPD unless something major happens. She said she knew Jack and Sally would be here this week, as well as the rest of the guys, and she wanted you to take the week off," Callie smiled. "But she knew you wouldn't do it if your team was still working, so her solution was to give everyone the week off."

"Oh wow!" Renee exclaimed. "That's really nice."

"That it is," Lou confirmed. He looked at Steve. "You wanna see if we can get a morning tee time?"

"Tomorrow?" Steve asked incredulously, considering how much everyone had been drinking. Lou nodded. "Hell no."

"One day this week, then?"

"Maybe."

"Okay, before everyone starts making plans, I've already got Monday taken care of for all of you," Callie said. She tried not to look too proud of herself, but was having a hard time containing her excitement.

"And what might that be, Dr. Callie?" Jay asked.

She felt like her face might break from grinning so hard. "There's a new place I've heard about. It's in the mountains. It's all outdoors…I think it's on five acres? There's a river and a waterfall. You split your group into two teams… _and play a very intense game of amped up laser tag."_

There was silence from the group before they erupted into excited chatter.

Steve gave her a kiss. "That's awesome, babe. Thank you."

"You," Wade said, "are the most amazing girl I've ever met. You are a pearl among women, Cal."

"Laser tag with SEALs? That's gonna be epic. Do you think we can go too?" Will asked Lou and Renee.

"Oh I don't know," Renee said quietly. "I don't know how many people Callie made the reservation for, or who she was planning on…"

Callie happened to overhear the conversation. "Oh! Yes, Will, absolutely! There is no reservation, and anyone who wants to can go." Her eyes danced. "I rented the facility for the day."

"Oh wow! That's even more awesome," Tani said. "That way you don't have to be around anyone you don't know."

"Yeah," Junior agreed. "That was an awesome idea. You need to tell us how much we owe you though. I'm sure everyone would pitch in to help cover the cost. I can't imagine how expensive that must have been."

"Nope," Callie waved him off. The others began to protest. "No. I'm serious, guys. I'm not taking your money. This one's on me."

The men looked to Steve for direction, not knowing what to do. He shrugged. "I'd just give up, if I were you. She's stubborn and bossy. You're not gonna win."

Scott chuckled. "You speaking from experience, McGarrett?"

Steve tossed back the rest of his drink before winking at Callie. "Damn right I am."

* * *

The drinks continued to flow as the night wore on. The Navy servers had been hand picked for this job, and for good reason. The event was open bar, there were officers involved, and SEALs as well as the Secretary of the Navy. This was definitely an A-list group, and the servers had been picked based on their ability to keep quiet about whatever they saw and/or heard.

The stories being told were hilarious, and laughter lasted well into the night.

At some point, the kitten disappeared, much to Jay's distress. He looked all over for it with the help of Danny and Aaron, who were sympathetic supporters of Operation Save the Kitten, but it was nowhere to be found.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Chapter 13**

* * *

With the exception of Steve, everyone was awake and moving by eleven the next morning. Jack and Sally were in the kitchen cooking breakfast when Callie came bounding down the stairs.

"Where's Jay?" she asked.

"On the lanai," Scott answered. "What's wrong?"

She held up her phone. "I'm pretty sure his hours are numbered." She headed toward the lanai. The rest of the SEALs shared a look, then scrambled to follow her.

"He's going to kill you," Callie was saying. "You went a step too far. You know how he is about stuff like that."

"I swear I didn't do it, Callie!" Jay insisted. "I looked all over for the kitten but couldn't find it anywhere. I guess it snuck in when the door was open at some point last night."

"And it just happened to find it's way to _his bed? The one person who can't even stand the thought of it being in the house at all?_ Are you freakin' _kidding me_?" Callie was furiously ranting in a whisper as she waved the phone in his face.

"Wait, what?" Danny asked, grabbing the phone. There, in living color, was a picture of a sound asleep Steve McGarrett…with a gray kitten curled against his side. "Oh, shit."

"Yeah," Callie agreed. "I tried to pick it up, but it hissed. I was afraid it was going to bite me. So, you—" she pointed at Jay, " _fix this_. Because you know as well as I do, he's going to lose his mind if he wakes up and that kitten is in bed with him."

Jay grimaced. It had been fun teasing Steve about keeping the kitten last night, especially given how much Steve had had to drink, but everyone knew he wasn't really serious. And—regardless of what it looked like—he had _nothing_ to do with the kitten's appearance in McGarrett's bed. He was much, much smarter than that because, truthfully, Jay was still a little scared of his former commanding officer.

"I just want to know when it got in," Scott said.

"And where it has been all night," Callie added. "It wasn't in bed with us. I woke up around eight. I didn't want to wake him, so I read a book on the balcony for a while. When I went back in, that little thing was in my spot. The door was shut all night, though, so I guess it had to be hiding in the bedroom or bathroom somewhere. I don't know." She looked pointedly at Jay. "I _do_ know that there is no way this is going to go well for you."

Jay winced and put his hands to his face. "How do I get myself into these messes?"

"And to think," Sally said. "I had just told Jack that we made it through the whole day with all of you, there was alcohol involved, and there hadn't been a single drop of blood spilled." She sighed. "I guess I spoke too soon."

* * *

After a delicious breakfast, where Jay was teased mercilessly about the very real possibility of it being his last meal, the group watched as Jay headed slowly up the stairs.

"Leave no man behind," he muttered to the group. "Y'all are something else, you know that? Not one of you willing to help me."

Aaron shrugged. "You're the one who brought the kitten here. This is all you, man. All you."

"If it makes you feel better, though, just remember we're all highly trained in field medicine," Greg joked. "So the likelihood of you dying is pretty slim. Maimed and mangled, yes. Dead, no." He grinned.

Lou, Jerry, and Tani walked in just then, curiosity immediately piqued by the last comment. "Good morning, group," Lou said. "What's going on?"

"Remember the kitten from last night that went missing?" Junior asked. "Well, after Callie got up this morning, it decided to take her place in bed…with Commander McGarrett."

"Who's still sleeping," Scott offered, "and will most likely be either really hungover or at the very least a headachy grouch when he wakes up. Neither of which will go over well for our boy Jay there."

Jay huffed. "Glad y'all think this is so hilarious. Happy to be your entertainment for this morning." He gave a mock salute and continued up the stairs.

* * *

A few minutes later, the group heard a loud yowl followed by hissing and screeching, and then a hoarse, sleepy voice yelling, "What the hell?"

Jay cursed. He'd tried to snatch the sleeping kitten, only to be attacked by the crazy feline. There was a good bit of muffled yelling and crashing around. A streak of gray came flying downstairs, with Jay close behind, arms scratched and dripping blood.

"Grab that cat!" he yelled to the group.

"We need to help him," Scott said to the rest of the SEALs.

"Ah, hell," Greg muttered. "Do we have to?"

"Brothers in arms and all that," Scott sighed, heaving himself to a standing position. "Let's get the damn kitten."

* * *

Steve appeared on the landing, wearing low-slung jogging pants and pulling a t-shirt over his head. He yawned and ran a hand through his sleep mussed hair, then padded down the stairs. Peering out onto the lanai where the SEALs were still trying to catch the kitten, he shook his head and then settled himself onto the floor between Callie's feet, leaning his head against her knee and closing his eyes.

The people gathered in the living room smiled. "Good morning," Callie said to him.

"Is it?" he mumbled. "Woke up without you, there was a cat in my bed, and Jay was yelling. Nightmare or am I still that drunk?"

Callie laughed. "Neither. That's real life this morning, babe."

"Oh." He blinked in confusion. "Think I should go back to bed. This…is too much."

Just then the kitten ran through the living room, screeching to a halt when he saw Steve sitting on the floor. He scampered over to Steve, clumsily crawling onto his lap.

When the SEALs followed, the kitten was sitting there, looking at them very much like the cat that ate the canary.

"Where—" Jay stopped, eyes widening as he saw where the cat was sitting.

Steve lifted the cat up to Jay. "Looking for this?"

Jay did his best to seem unfazed by the situation and gave a quiet huff. "Yes." He took the growling cat from Steve.

"You going to find it a home now? Somewhere that's not here?"

"Yes."

"Good. While you're out, you should probably get a tetanus shot."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"That went much better than what I thought it would," Danny whispered to Scott later on.

Scott nodded in agreement. "I think he was still asleep. That was definitely in Jay's favor."

Danny laughed. "I'll have to remember that for later on."

* * *

Compared to the morning, the rest of the day was uneventful. Callie invited the entire ohana over for dinner so teams could be formed and plans could be made for the next morning. As they were finishing up, she pulled out two clipboards.

"We need to divide up into teams for tomorrow. Steve, I'm putting you in charge of team one; Scott, you're in charge of team two." Both men nodded.

"Alright, boys," she said. "Start picking. I'll write."

It took a while, and there were multiple arguments, but finally they had two lists they were sure were as equal as possible.

"Nope!" Steve said, snatching the Longboard from Danny's hands. "You've had enough."

"What are you talking about?" Danny said, grabbing for the beer while Steve pulled it further away. "That's only my third one."

"Yeah, and you're on my team tomorrow morning. And I'm not going to lose. So no one on my team is doing any more drinking tonight."

"If he's not drinking, then we aren't either," Scott announced. "This is serious, folks."

Callie rolled her eyes. "Good grief."

"Oh, honey," Sally said, patting her knee. "Do you not know that these men are, by nature and career, some of the most competitive men on the planet? I'm sure you've seen how competitive he is on his own, with normal people. That's how they all are. With other SEALs though? Heaven help us."

* * *

**Chapter 14: Chapter 14**

* * *

"All I'm saying is that everything with you is a competition," Danny told Steve as they walked to the truck the next morning. "It doesn't matter if it's golf or football or putt-putt or freakin' Scrabble, you think you have to win. Have you never heard of doing something just for fun? I mean, can we not just have a fun day without having to keep score?"

Steve looked at him incredulously. "No. Why would you want to do that? What would be the point in even playing?"

"The point, _Steven,_ would be to have fun."

"Winning is fun."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I'm sure you're a gracious loser too."

"What're you talking about, Danno?" Steve asked, smirking at him. "I don't lose."

"Insufferable SEAL," Danny muttered, climbing into the truck as his partner laughed.

* * *

"Okay, everyone," Callie said, clapping her hands together. "This is John. John is our attendant for the day. He's going to explain everything, then we'll get started."

"Hey, guys," the older man said to the group, smiling. "I've been looking forward to this since Callie booked it."

John quickly went over how everything was going to work. Each person was outfitted with a vest with a sensor, a laser gun, and a headset. The group had the option of communicating only with their team or with the whole group, and they decided being able to hear everyone would be more fun. The group headed out, each individual moving to a spot where they wanted to begin the game. The majority of the group had worn camo, with the remaining members choosing dark colored clothing, and they blended in well with the forest. After about five minutes, John came over the link and called for the game to start.

Not two minutes later, a buzz signified that one member had already gone down. Jay's laughter could be heard over the link.

"Got you, Cal!"

"Aw, that stinks," came Callie's voice.

There was a pause before Steve responded. "Well, that's….disappointing."

Callie giggled in embarrassment. "Yeah…guess I haven't picked up any skills from you, huh?"

* * *

The game continued for a long time, with everyone except for the SEALs being slowly eliminated. "They're good at this," Will commented, when it was finally down to just Steve and Jay.

"I'm pretty sure it's their job," Grace replied, laughing. "We may be here all day."

"Not all day, Gracie," Steve replied over the link. "Jay just made a mistake."

"Ah, crap," Jay said in disgust. "Where are you, McGarrett?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Oh, stop playing with me and just shoot me already."

"I've waited years for you to say that, Jaybird."

"Ha. Ha. So hilarious."

"Oh, don't make that face. It's not a good look for you."

"Is there any hope of me getting away?"

"Nope."

"What if I ran?"

"Nuh-uh."

"If I ran really fast?"

"I'll get you before you take a step."

"I still don't see you."

"Isn't that the point?"

"You suck, McGarrett."

"Nah."

"Well, not when we're on the same team. But opposite teams? Yes, you definitely suck."

"Boys, are y'all going to finish anytime soon? The rest of us are getting hungry," Jack grinned at the others.

"Sure thing," Steve replied. "Hey, Jaybird?"

"Yeah?"

"Gotcha."

The buzzer on Jay's vest sounded.

* * *

"That was a lot of fun," Will said as the group ate pizza for lunch on Steve's lanai. "Thank you, Callie."

Callie smiled. "You're welcome."

"So when did y'all learn how to do all that stuff?" he asked Steve's team.

"BUD/s, then a lot of, uh, _on the job training_ ," Greg laughed. "Some stuff you have to be trained and qualify for, like rifleman and parachutist. Your boy there," he nodded his head to Steve, "is one of the best snipers I've ever seen. I've seen him drop a, um, _target_ from 2,000 yards."

"Wow," Will said. "That's cool. I never knew all this stuff about him."

"He is a pretty cool guy," Greg winked. "Just don't ever tell him I said that."

Will laughed. "They're talking to us about careers and stuff at school. I know I don't want to be a SEAL—no offense, but you guys are crazy—but I think I might like the Navy. The parachuting stuff seems cool."

"It is. You'll have to go with Steve sometime when he jumps. It's cool to watch; it's even better to do it. When you're ready, one of us would be happy to jump with you." Greg said.

"Thanks. I think it'll be a while though." Will grinned.

"Nothing wrong with that," Scott told him, bumping his shoulder.

"I'd like to go watch sometime. That sounds cool," Will told the SEALs.

"Go watch what?" Steve asked, catching the last part of the conversation from the other end of the long table.

"Jumps," Scott told him. "We told Will you could probably arrange that."

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Steve nodded.

"You have to log some hours soon anyway. That'd be a good chance to take young Grover there along," Jack said.

Every SEAL on the lanai looked up and at Jack at the same time.

"You keeping check on my file, Jack?" Steve asked, eyebrows raised.

"I just took a look at it before we came out here," Jack replied, looking Steve directly in the eyes. "You already scheduled your jumps for recert?"

Steve nodded, taking a pull of the beer in front of him, eyes giving away nothing. "End of next month."

The members of Five-0 were trying to follow the conversation that seemed to be happening silently around them.

"With your time off this week, and all the boys here, it may be a good time for you to lead a jump and get those hours in," Jack said. "There are a couple more of you who need to recertify soon too. Good time to practice jumping with your CO."

Steve and Jack were still holding eye contact, the rest of the people on the lanai looking at each other, waiting to be clued in on what was going on.

Steve took another swig of beer.

"You're reactivating me."

* * *

**Chapter 15: Chapter 15**

* * *

The lanai was quiet. Jack's eyes still hadn't left Steve's.

"I would like to, and if you were anyone else I'd order you to without giving it a second thought. But our friendship makes things a little different, and I'd rather you have some say in it. I received some intel last week that you'll be interested in. A certain target who disappeared eight years ago has recently made some moves and appears to be resurfacing."

Steve raised his eyebrows, knowing immediately who Jack was talking about.

"If you agree," he stopped and looked at the group of SEALs, then turned back to Steve, "the op is yours. You'll be the commanding officer. You can build your own team—reserves, retired, active, I don't care. I'll reactivate anybody necessary. Whoever you trust. You'll have my full support, the full support of the Navy, funding, whatever you need." Jack paused. "I'm not going to lie—I really want you on this, Steve, and there are a lot of others who do as well. You spent a lot of time with Naval Intelligence tracking him, and you know more about him than anyone else."

"How long?" Steve asked.

Jack gave a small shrug. "As long as it takes you. The intel's pretty good, but I know you'll want to do your own and I know you'll want to put the team you put together through drills. You'll have plenty of time to do both before you go."

Steve nodded, thinking. He glanced at Danny and Lou. "I would want Five-0 to gather intel and run the op from here. I don't know many in Naval Intelligence anymore, and I don't want someone I'm not comfortable with feeding me intel when we're downrange. Not with who we're dealing with and how far his reach goes."

"Given the situation, I think that's reasonable," Jack replied, nodding. "I can get them clearance."

"What do you think, Danno?" Steve asked.

Danny had been watching the conversation between the two men, bouncing his head back and forth as if he were watching a ping pong match. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. When Five-0 first started, he worried about Steve being deployed constantly, but the thought hadn't crossed his mind lately. He knew the mission would be classified, knew he would have no contact with his partner, and knew that until Steve was back in Hawaii the knot that had already formed in his stomach wouldn't go away. When Steve mentioned Five-0 running the op, the knot loosened a bit. If he couldn't be there with Steve, at least he could help him in this way.

"I think it's good," Danny replied, looking at Lou and Jerry, who nodded in affirmation. "We can do that."

Steve looked at the other men at the table, making eye contact with each one. "I'm not half-assing this. We haven't worked together in a long time. You know I'll want everything to be perfect, which means we'll run it over and over and over until it is."

Jay rolled his eyes. "Oh, we know, don't we, boys?" The others laughed and Steve grinned, but then Jay got serious. "But it's saved our asses many times. You run us how you want to, Commander. You've got us out of places nobody else could, and it's because of how you trained us. I'll never trust anybody more than you."

The others agreed.

"Thank you," Steve said quietly. "But I haven't ran a mission like this in years, guys. I completely understand if—"

"No," Greg interrupted. "We'd follow you to Hell and back, McGarrett—in fact, I'm pretty sure we have a couple of times. Just because you haven't led a mission like this in a while doesn't change anything. Doesn't change you, or your ability to lead." He shrugged. "I'm all in."

"Me too, Doggy," Eric said, bumping against Steve's shoulder. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"You know it," Aaron nodded.

"I'm assuming you'll need a 2IC," Scott said with a sly smile.

"You know anybody?" Steve asked, grinning.

"Might know a guy. If he can put up with your ornery ass."

"It's a job, that's for sure," Danny interjected. The group laughed.

"Alright, then," Jack said, rubbing his hands together. There was an extra sparkle in his eye that wasn't there before. "What do you want to start with first? How soon you think you can have this crew in ship-shape and ready to deploy?"

Steve crossed his arms, frowning and looking down, deep in thought. "Depends. I need to look at your intel, work up a strategy, and go from there. If we're going to infil by air, I want to do HALO jumps tomorrow and make sure everything is tight. I'll let you know by tonight."

"So you've got a team of six. Is that what you want?" Jack asked.

Steve shook his head, frowning again. "No. I want one more operator, and a medic."

"Alright. Who are you thinking?"

He looked at Junior. "Would you be interested?"

Junior looked shocked, in complete disbelief that a man he respected as much as Steve would ask him to go along on not only a mission, but a mission sanctioned by the Sec Nav. He sat up straighter in his chair. "Sir, it would be an honor."

"Ah, hell," Eric said, making a face and poking at Steve's ribs, unable to stop himself from grinning. "We're gonna have to call him 'sir' again."

* * *

Sally stood, giving her husband a look. She got up from the table and collected the plates of those who were finished eating, then retreated to the kitchen. Callie stood up and followed her, along with Tani and Renee.

Sally shook her head as she started cleaning the kitchen. "I knew it. I knew he wasn't telling me something."

Callie looked at her, waiting patiently for the kind, older lady to say more. Callie had fallen in love with Jack and Sally over the last week. She had known how close Steve was to them, and now she completely understood why. They were wonderful.

"You don't think Steve should go?" Callie asked, prompting her.

"I didn't say that," Sally said quietly, sighing. "It's just…SEALs and SEAL teams are hard to explain. They're trained to be mission-oriented, consequences be damned. To do that, a lot of times you have to compartmentalize things and shut off parts of yourself. Those men out there," she motioned to the lanai, "will be completely different by the time they deploy. Steve has always been good at compartmentalizing. He can tune everything else out and has what Jack describes as a laser-like focus on the task at hand. He has always been able to do what is necessary. But for him, it comes at a price. He's empathetic. He cares. That's only increased since he went into the reserves." Sally shook her head again. "We should be incredibly thankful for our special operators. The hell they go through so we can sleep at night is unreal, and I don't even know a tenth of it. When they come back, they still go through it. You can't do what they do, see what they see, and not be affected by it…" She sighed heavily. "I just worry. That's all. I want him to go and be able to do what he needs to do without hesitating, but then I want him to be able to come home and let it go."

"Me too," Callie said softly. "Me too."


End file.
